290 Of securing houses and their inhabitants from Jire, 



Art. V. — Of securing houses and their inhabitants from fire, and 

 of obtaining supplies of water and of ivarm air. 



INTRODUCTORY LETTER TO PROF. SILLIMAN, 



Sir — The respectable person to whom the following letter and 

 postscript have been anonymously addressed, having, through a com- 

 mon friend, assented to the transmission of them to you, in order to 

 be placed in the American Journal of Science and Arts, of which 

 you are the Editor ; they are now forwarded for that purpose, nearly 

 in their original dress, except as to a few verbal alterations. An 

 addidon, however, has been made, of some amount, under the name 

 of a supplement; which, from want of opportunity, has not been 

 submitted to the same critical inspection ; but which, nevertheless, 1 

 feel authorized to annex, after having made this statement on the 

 subject. I am, sir, yours respectfully, • . 



Hon. W. J. Duane, Secretary of the Treasury, Washington. 



July 31, 1833. 



Sir — Having noticed the accounts given to the public respecting 

 the conflagration which lately took place in a portion of the buildings 

 at Washington assigned to yourself, ofScially, as Secretary of the 

 Treasury for the United States, various reflections have since occur- 

 red to me, on the subject of the conflagradon of buildings which are 

 inhabited, and on other connected circumstances. I presume, Sir, to 

 submit some of these reflections to your consideration, through the 

 medium of a friend, in the form of a letter. Should any statements 

 or suggestions seem to require explanadon, the use of the same chan- 

 nel will produce a reply. As I am anxious to live as a renred per- 

 son, my friend is desired not to name me to you, a request with which 

 he will doubdess comply. 



My letter will first touch upon some general points, which respect 

 the securing of inhabited buildings from fire, and will then proceed 

 to some miscellaneous remarks; and be followed by a postscript, con- 

 taining some incidental matters, which could not conveniently be in- 

 troduced in the body of the letter. 



1. For the prevention of injury by fire among houses, I may re- 

 late,' that when I was once sitdng alone with Dr. Franklin, over the 

 embers of his hearth, he took occasion to remark upon the great 



